Two senior IAS officers charge-sheeted for graft in Lakshadweep

The Kochi unit of the CBI Thursday chargesheeted Delhi Finance Corporation managing director and senior IAS officer B V Selvaraj in a corruption case during his term as administrator of Lakshadweep from 2006 to 2009. Daman and Diu Education Secretary Abraham Varickamackal, former chairman of Lakshadweep Building Development Board (LBDB), was also chargesheeted. Both are UT-cadre IAS officers.

According to the chargesheet filed in the Kochi special court, the officers took bribe and entered into a criminal conspiracy with a private contractor to award contracts for supply of river sand and granite chips from Kerala to Lakshadweep.

While Varickamackal of the 1998 batch has been arraigned as the first accused, Selvaraj of the 1981 batch is the fourth accused. Varickamackal’s wife Kaberi Senapati has been made the seventh accused. Senior LBDB official S Attakoya, contractor H K Mohammed Kassim and three others are the accused.

The CBI said Varickamackal gave contracts to Kassim without authorisation and Selvaraj joined the conspiracy later. Varickamackal was chairman of LBDB and Selvaraj administrator of Lakshadweep when the alleged corruption took place. The CBI found Selvaraj accepted ornaments, sarees and gadgets from Kassim, who took up renovation of his Pondicherry house.

“Lakshadweep Public Forum Seeks Probe into malpractices in Lakshadweep”
Administration Need to probe into the malpractice cases going on in SPORTS (Society for Promotion of Nature Tourism & SPORTS) – a Society responsible for conducting Lakshadweep Tourism. The SPORTS working under the Administration is responsible for conducting the Lakshadweep Tour Packages. This is a very potential field capable of bringing in huge revenue to the UTL. Sadly enough, there are many corrupt elements in the SPORTS concentrating only on making personal gains, tarnishing the Nation itself and causing huge loss to the public exchequer. Probe into malpractices in Lakshadweep Administration… http://lakshadweepforum.com/blog/probe-into-malpractices-in-lakshadweep-administration/

“Corrupt business practices in the U.T. of Lakshadweep”
Unfortunately, little after the project got started, corruption grew fast among the officials of SPORTS. The management was keen on making personal gains, at the risk of causing multiple natures of difficulties and financial losses to the exchequer including the land owners and participating tourists. This process went on for quite a long time.

It is well known to the majority that some of the SPORTS officials, mainly the G.M. and above, have made huge financial gains by manipulations. The Administrators, the official custodians of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, who is shamelessly protecting these corrupt practices, remain silent.

Bangaram Island Beach Resort:
The Legal Battle for Bangaram Resort, U.T. of LakshadweepThe revenue derived by M/s. Casino Hotels from the Bangaram Resort ran to crores. Only a fraction of the total income was reached to the land owners, who belongs to the most impoverished and marginalized Scheduled Tribe people of the India, the U.T. of Lakshadweep. Allegations were made by the Islanders who claimed that “by periodic inducements to the corrupt officials of SPORTS, M/s. Casino could go on extending the lease for nearly 22 years. … The Legal Battle for Bangaram Resort, U.T. of Lakshadweep